Mrs Dalloway

Adeline Virginia Woolf ( 1882 - 28th March 1941) is one of Britain's leading literary talents and a pioneer of modernist writing especially 'stream of consciousness' which provides the reader with the flow of thoughts from the naked inner voice without any filter, order or arrangement. She overcame sexual abuse from her brothers, the death of her mother and then sister in her childhood but it was the death of her father as a young adult that institutionalised her. These dark emotional episodes were to reappear at different times throughout her life but did not prevent her prolific output of some of the most poignant and poetic prose ever written. Mrs Dalloway is often thought of as one of Woolf's most brilliant novels and was the basis of the award winning film The Hours. It takes place on a June day in post WWI London where wealthy socialite Clarissa Dalloway is preoccupied with the finishing touches to her party. She considers those that will be attending her party that evening, past loves, people who have touched her life, a re-evaluation of her practical marriage and her hesitancy in growing old. These flashbacks, reminiscences and memories conjure up a vivid and insightful portrait that make this a riveting read and a classic work by a brilliant author at the top of her game.